United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Dryfoos v. Wiese, 124 U.S. 32 (1888)

Dryfoos v. Wiese

Argued December 14, 1887

Decided January 9, 1888

124 U.S. 32

Syllabus

Claim 2 of reissued letters patent No. 9097, granted to Louis Dryfoos, assignee of August Beck, February 24, 1880, for an "improvement in quilting machines," namely,

"2. The combination, with a series of vertically reciprocating needles mounted in a laterally reciprocating sewing frame, of conical feed rolls, and mechanism for causing them to act intermittingly during the intervals between the formation of stitches, substantially as herein shown and described,"

is not infringed by a machine which has no conical rollers, but has short cylindrical feed rollers at each edge of the goods which they feed in a circular direction by moving at different rates of speed constantly, the needles having a forward movement corresponding to that of the cloth while the needles are in it, nor by a machine which has the well known sewing machine four-motion feed, which is capable of feeding in a circular direction by lengthening the feed at the longest edge of the goods.

Bill in equity to restrain alleged infringements of letters patent. Decree dismissing the bill, from which complainant appealed. The case is stated in the opinion of the Court.

Page 124 U. S. 33